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Hello, I am Merina Magar. I started working for Ganga Ghar as an intern in 2013 when I was doing my Bachelor of Arts in social work from Thames International College. After graduation, I joined Ganga Ghar as a part time employee in 2014

After visiting Ramechhap, we also extended our relief effort to Dolakha district. The first day of trip was cancelled because of landslide on the Arniko highway and had to be postponed. However, we were eventually able to reach our destination in Malu VDC of Dolkaha district, after 8 hours of drive from Kathmandu.

After the second devastating earthquake shook Nepal, Ganga Ghar shifted their relief aid distribution to eastern Part of Nepal, mainly Dolakha and Ramechhap district, where the need was utmost and urgent.

Ganga Ghar team recently visited and distributed the relief aid in Sindhupalchok district. Sindhupalchok is the hardest hit district in both the destructive earthquakes, resulting in most fatalities in any district.

Words fall short of expressing how grateful for the generosity our sponsors and donors have extended in the wake of the Nepal earthquake. Our team in the US and in Nepal is working tirelessly to provide essential relief to our sponsored families, as well as many others in the communities that have been affected by the earthquake.

As soon as I got news of the earthquake, my heart started pulling me to Nepal. I tried to arrange a flight to Kathmandu only to be told that the airport was closed and no flights could go into the area. After meetings with the Ganga Ghar board, we put together a plan and a team to execute it, but my heart and mind were still in Nepal. The call for duty was unbearable. So last night, I booked a flight, and I’ll be heading to Nepal on Thursday to join our team.

Over the past 24 hours, the Ganga Ghar network has been actively coordinating for relief efforts following the devastating earthquake on Saturday, April 25th. Our team of Ganga Ghar employees, friends, family members, and volunteers will be visiting two communities hit hard by the quake--Chunikhel and Dhading. Initial reports state that approximately 90% of the homes in the village area of Dhading have been destroyed.

This is an update regarding the steps we are taking to gather information and provide support to sponsored children and families and their communities that have been affected by the earthquake in Nepal:

Hi, my name is Asmit Kunwar, the new intern at Ganga Ghar. I am in the third year of receiving my Bachelors of Social Work from Thames International College. After becoming an intern at Ganga Ghar, I got to be a part of the 2014 child selection drive as one of the team members. It was a very important task and made me feel both thrilled and anxious. However, my past experience working with children boosted up my confidence and eagerness to contribute. I was ready for the journey with all the excitement and willingness to pour my dedication into the project..

Hello, I am Merina Magar, a bachelor third year student studying Social work at Thames International College. Every year we are placed in a social work organization as interns, and this year I feel fortunate to be placed in Ganga Ghar and gain such an amazing experience through child selection drive 2014 in Jhapa.

For many, a new year means a fresh start. As we reflect upon the events and decisions of 2012, we evaluate who we are and choose the areas where we want to grow in 2013. It’s an exciting, optimistic time when we focus on what we need to do to bring out the best in ourselves.

It has been just over one month since our team of volunteers returned from Nepal. The trip was bookended by two major Nepali holidays - Dashain on the front, Tihar on the back. As a result, we received a healthy dose of cultural immersion by participating in festivities and rituals with our Nepali hosts. We returned to the USA in time to celebrate Thanksgiving and get into holiday spirit of Christmas and New Year.

Since returning from Nepal, all of my friends and family have asked what it was like to spend time there with Ganga Ghar.The truth is, it’s been hard for me to wrap up all the amazing experiences of the trip into any sort of concise answer.

From my home in Milwaukee, Nepal is about as far away as you can possibly get... and it felt that way. As with any different culture, there were things that surprised me (systematic power outages), things I fell in love with right away (the food), and things I could have done without (pollution).

Education is a crucial factor that will help bring the change that we need. Nepal is a third world country where children are deprived of their basic rights. And for many children receiving quality education is a far fetched dream. But if change has to come then it has to start from the roots and for me the roots for development of Nepal are our children!

As the newest member of the Ganga Ghar Nepal team, I’m grateful to everyone who has made me feel welcome already. It’s good to know we share the same excitement of making a difference in the lives of children and families in Nepal.

When we founded Ganga Ghar in 2009, I knew that there would be times where sacrifices must be made. However, I never imagined having to leave my first child and wife alone for 3 weeks in order to travel half way around the world in pursuit of our mission.

Over the past few years, the Ganga Ghar team has seen what the dedication of our sponsors and volunteers can accomplish. Today, over 100 children are able to attend school because of those who support our mission. Rather than stopping there, Ganga Ghar wanted to expand it’s efforts in order to reach more children who are unable to attend school. In some regions, there are no schools to attend, so the children there have never had access to education or new opportunity. By building a school in one of these regions, Ganga Ghar can make an impact for generations to come, helping break cycles of poverty and improve the future for Nepali children.

For 16 years, the children at Surya Jyoti School in Jhapa, Nepal were receiving incomplete schooling. The students showed the drive and determination to attend school and learn, but the school was only able to educate children until they reached grade 5. Children leaving the school found themselves at a severe disadvantage, as grade 5 is only halfway toward completing their SLC (School Leaving Certificate). A half-complete education leaves a student without sufficient knowledge and preparation to pursue meaningful future endeavors. Poverty, political instability, and lack of awareness coincided to create a dire situation for children at Surya Jyoti School who longed for opportunities to further their education.

Do you ever stop and think about what your life would be like if you had never gone to school? Would you have learned how to read or how to use a computer? Would you have the same career that you have now?

When I left the States for Nepal this summer, I had many things on my mind. Amongst all the things I desired to accomplish while I am in Nepal, I wanted to visit ‘Ganga Ghar kids’ and work with them at some level. After brainstorming ideas with Ganga Ghar team in the USA, we decided to organize some sort of an event that would help stimulate kids’ critical thinking. We decided to pick a Saturday to organize an art event followed by a game and a movie.

Last November, Ganga Ghar won the Chase Community Giving award of $25,000. We won this award by receiving over 1,700 votes to rank 26th among the best small charities in the country. We extend our thanks to all...

What is the first image that comes to your head if somebody asks you to draw happiness? I am guessing a smiley face, . Smile is a good representation of happiness and the smiley face is probably the most used emoticon to express happiness. But could you be more creative in drawing happiness on paper? How about a picture of yourself on vacation or you giving a toast at a dinner table with all your family members? The point I am trying to make here is that a person can get creative if s/he chooses to be so in doing simplest of simple daily activities. If you don’t believe me, the work of Ganga Ghar (GG) students in Dhading will definitely make you believe it.

Ganga Ghar with the motto of Empowerment through Education has been extending its hands in encouraging students to attend school by providing such needs. Same was the purpose of the visit to Chunikhel. Nineteen students for the New School session were delivered with school dress, shoes, backpack and school supplies.

Morning is inevitable after sunset. It is a different day but errands remain the same. Dawn had just broken in mid April for the students who were ready to head back to school for a new term. Everyone was full of joy and excitement. The exuberance of promotion.......

It is heart wrenching when you hear about a child having to fight the pain from her broken arm for several days because her parents don’t have money to take her to a doctor. When one of our Nepal representatives, Bikram Parajuli, visited....

As the world takes its first steps into 2012, Ganga Ghar also steps into its fourth year of providing education to poor and underprivileged children and families in Nepal. We are more passionate than ever about continuing to carry out our mission in the new year, but first we must pay tribute to 2011 in honor of the accomplishments of our team and our sponsors in helping Ganga Ghar reach new heights.

I was one of the first to get there - our site for the PlayToHelp event on Saturday Dec 03, 2011. The weather forecast said it was going to snow that afternoon, so we were nervous. What if no one showed up? All of the preparations were done and we had a steep goal to accomplish – raise $1000.

Giving is a very powerful word. I believe I found the essence of it in the jaunt to Dhading.

After one week of planning with Dhading representative Mrs. Laxmi Shrestha and different schools in the region, and after shopping and other arrangements were all done, Sachi and I left for Dhading on 11th November 2011 at 10am. The excitement was increasing as our destination appeared closer. We were going to hand over winter clothes to the children for the winter.

Being a small charity, we got enrolled into Chase Community Giving contest from Facebook which runs until Monday, Nov 21st 2011. The top 100 charities that receive the maximum number of votes will win $25K to $250K.

We are proud to launch four different GG Committees today. The objectives of these committees are to focus on different sectors of the organization and improve the process for quality, growth and sustainability.

My name is Sachi Dixit, and as a sponsor of a child, I was very excited to volunteer for Ganga Ghar on a visit to the children in Dorphirdi, Nepal. Three of us Susan, Abhishek and I left Kathmandu on Oct 23rd, 2011 at 7am. After an eight hour bus ride and two hours of walking, we finally reached the village of Dorphirdi. Seeing all of the kids in uniform while traveling there made me really happy, realizing that more and more children have started going to school and the situation in our country is actually improving.

Project Kalanki is collaborative effort between Ganga Ghar & Kalanki English Medium School (KEMS) to uplift the lives of 25 children and their families residing in Kalanki, Nepal. Our goal is to raise scholarship funds to help families who do not have the resources to educate their children. This project is targeting children whose families have fled from the rural war-torn parts of Nepal to inner cities over the past decade as well as deprived indigenous children. The goal is to provide a need based scholarship to 25 students from such families.

One of the reasons I joined Ganga Ghar is because I would get to meet with children and families in person. Getting to meet children we help and understand their lifestyle and the challenges they face makes us more effective at what we do. Here an account of my first visit to Dhading on Oct 1st, 2011.

Hi, I am Susan Gyanaprakash, a new team member of Ganga Ghar in Nepal. I joined the team on Sept 1st, 2011 as a Program Co-ordinator. My primary role is to strengthen the communication between sponsors and children. My plan is to encourage children and families to work hard for a brighter future and provide steady update to sponsors.

Not too long ago, I was talking with Tina Chang, the CEO of SysLogic where I work. In the conversation, she said, "You could organize a Nepali dinner at your place and invite us (Syslogic employees) over. This way we will get to meet the Shrestha family, taste some Nepali food and you can raise some funds for your organization as well!”

It's 7pm on Sunday, Oct 2nd 2011. I just woke up from a 3 hour nap and I am sure seventeen others are doing the same. A total of eighteen people spent their weekend volunteering/working at BuySeasons (http://www.buyseasons.com/), a warehouse in New Berlin, WI. BuySeasons is one of the largest distributors of Halloween Costumes and Party Supplies. During the busy seasons, the company allows volunteers from different organizations to help in their warehouse and donates the total amount earned to the organization.

I can't remember the last time I bought a dictionary. Since the birth of "Define (word)" in Google and www.dictionary.com, I have not opened up a physical dictionary. However, there are places in this world where computers and internet for them are like flying cars for us. Hopefully your support will one day allow these children to use computers.

Sunita Tamang lives in a 8 by 10 foot room with 5 other siblings. Her room has one twin size bed, a twin mattress on the floor, and one book shelve filled with books. Sunita's father understands the value of education and works day and night to send all of his six children to school.

The Milwaukee Nepal Night is:- A celebration and introduction of Nepali culture to the Milwaukee Community- A fundraiser for a Ganga Ghar project "T2S2" (2 English Teachers and 2 Swing-sets). This project will introduce English teachers for the first time at two schools partnered with Ganga Ghar.

Until April 2010, Durga went to work with her mother. Her mother, Saraswati, who is divorced cleans houses and wash dishes. Her salary is $15/month. When asked why her daughter goes to work with, she said, "the employer (house owner) provides us with lunch in the afternoon. This way my daughter can eat good food once a day and my daughter enjoys going to work with me".

April 2010 marked the beginning of the new school year, and 34 children are enrolled for the 2010-2011 academic year through support from Ganga Ghar. 21 girls and 14 boys are attending school in Dhading and Damak.

As some of you may know, Ojash was born in Nepal. He moved to Wisconsin in 2000 to go to college at UW-Whitewater. He would like to share a story about an experience that happened to him, which has inspired him to start this non-profit organization.